Skinny Love
by ZeusxLeto
Summary: We all have secrets, but when it comes to love secrets are hard to hide, especially when you least expect it.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **My first TVD fan-fiction, bare with me.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_Sometimes the best type of love isn't found.  
It's lost. _

**Prologue**

XXX

The light drained from his eyes. He was good as dead no doubt and what a pity too. After all, what would he tell her? Probably nothing. Keep his thoughts to himself – that's the smart thing to do. But her face said otherwise, she was hurt. Wounded, and it happened to be his fault and there was no way around it.

"I can't believe you, Stefan… How could you?"

How could he? Really? She wasn't Miss Perfect either. For the past few months now she had been toying with his feelings also and this wasn't some act of revenge to get back at her. No, it was simply the fact his feelings had changed. She had no right to be this upset with him, not unless she was stupid but he knew damn well she wasn't.

"How could I, what?" He clears his throat, placing his hand on the railing. His eyes search her face. At one point he thought her anger and jealously was cute, but now? Now it was quite patient just like her. Stefan stood his ground as his eyes now wandered, looking up at the night sky, and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"You know what I'm talking about. Don't you dare deny it, I saw you."

"Ha. You saw nothing, and even if you did..." Stefan trails off, biting down on his tongue. The more he talked the more he was digging himself a deeper hole, but at this point he just didn't seem to care anymore because he was sick and tired of denying how he truly felt.

"You're right. I kissed her, okay? And I loved it."

Suddenly Damon walked out the front door and looking as though he was ready to go somewhere, yet, he stops short when he heard what Stefan had clearly announced.

"Who did you kiss?" He asked, a sly grin on his face.

"Caroline Forbes." Elena answered.

* * *

**A/N: **Read and review? Thank you.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_We can only hope our dreams come true.  
Even if a friend has to lead us there._

**Chapter One**

XXX

**Stefan's POV**

"Stefan, wake up sleepy head."

I groan, stretching my arms over my head and feeling every bone in my body crack before settling them back down to wrap them tightly around Elena.

"You're killing me, Smalls." I chuckle, taking in her messy hair and beautiful oval face.

"Whatever." Elena replies, smiling up at me, and giving me small kisses along my bare chest while the sunlight creeps into my bedroom and illuminates everything in its path – some old journals that I had left out the previous night were neatly piled on top of each other on my desk.

Elena peeks her head up, eyeing the journals and quickly untangles herself from me. "What are you doing?" I ask, not moving an inch but only mildly curious of her sudden change in behavior.

"Nothing… I'm just browsing." She makes her way over to my desk, picking up the journal on the top. The cover read _2008 _in Italic lettering. Ah, 2008, the year before I had the courage to meet Elena, the year of living in this house with my wayward older brother Damon patiently waiting to enter the town of Mystic Falls. Now four years have passed since then – so many changes.

I watch as she flips through the pages, probably to see if she would *spot her name anywhere, but instead a different name forms around her lips and I begin to panic.

"Caroline."

Suddenly, I'm behind her. My arms lift her into the air and spin her around until her legs are wrapped around my waist, and her light brown eyes make contact with my green ones. I give her one of my million dollar grins, hoping it will help to sway her wondering brain.

"Aren't you a nosey one?" I offer, snatching the journal from her hands, tossing it on the bed.

"Nosey? No, just curious."

"Right."

Elena's lips curl so I do the only thing I can think of to keep her asking questions I didn't feel like answering: I kiss her. I kiss her long, passionately, while placing Elena back on her feet. Our kiss breaks after several long minutes with both of us breathless, her body glowing like the sun outside.

"Well, I'd better get going. You know how Jeremy worries." With that said, Elena turns around and in a blink of an eye she becomes a blur of nothing, running home.

As I had stated earlier: a lot has changed in four years.

XXX

_ June 1__st__, 2008_

_Caroline.  
__What a beautiful creature. __Her curly blonde hair falling like stars across her skin, and that smile – it simply could do a number on a dead vampire's heart and she didn't even know it. For some time I've been keeping my eyes on her, even though Elena was my real target.  
__Elena.  
__She was the one I couldn't stay away from.  
__She was the one I wanted, but Caroline – she was something else too, and I had yet to figure out exactly what that was._

_*: a hidden page in the back of the 2008 journal. _

* * *

**A/N: **Forgive me for the bad grammar, it's been about 9 years since I've written for fan-fiction and I'm well aware my writing is rusty. Sorry.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **All of you, my reviewers, sure know how to make my day.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_What we do not seek,  
it shall be found._

**Chapter Two**

XXX

**Elena's POV**

Normally, I never bolt out of The Salvatore's house so quickly. But seeing her name in one of his journals got me curious, maybe even a bit jealous? I couldn't be sure. All I knew was the strange feeling willing up in the pit of my unfed stomach. What I needed now was food – in simpler words: blood.

A year ago when I was in transition, after that unforgettable night when I awoke in the morgue and the reality of my situation settled in… That I died but was brought back to life through a transfusion of vampire blood; I knew I had to make a very serious life-altering choice.

Drink blood and live, or dead forever.

I choose life for obvious reasons.

"Elena, are you coming inside?" Jeremy's voice broke through my train of thought and I found myself staring him, and suddenly well aware that I was still standing outside on the pouch.

"Yeah, sorry about that Jer." I answer him, stepping inside. "I'm hungry anyways." I make my way to the kitchen and throw open the refrigerator door to see delicious blood bags awaiting me, so delicious indeed. I grab one at random, open the tap, and then slurp the miracle drink down my greedy throat.

"Hey Elena, can we talk?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Jeremy walks into the kitchen, seeing the blood bag last drops enter my mouth. I swear I see him cringle, which only guilt's me more. I hated knowing his unease around me, even a year later.

"No, um… never mind."

"Don't do that to me, Jeremy. C'mon, tell me what's on your mind?" I pat the chair next to me, mentally crossing my fingers that he'll sit down. He does. I smile with my eyes and give him time to gather his thoughts together. "It's about Bonnie… I miss her, Elena."

"Have you tried calling her? Texting?" I ask.

Jeremy sighs, placing his clenched fists on the wooden table. His body language spoke volumes – he appears to be weak, withdrawn more than usual – these things I clearly haven't been paying attention too because my mind has always drifted elsewhere.

_Blood. Stefan. Blood, blood… Stefan… Damon? _

"No. I don't know what to say." He responses.

"Simply tell her the truth."

"But–"

I wave my hand in the air, dismissing the comment he was about to make. "Don't make me regret giving you advice, please. Just call her, okay? And if you run into any trouble, I'll be here."

Jeremy was speechless. His sister had never been this outspoken before about anything, especially about his fucked-up love life. One time he was caught red-handed making out with his ghost girlfriend Anna by Elena herself when she was human at the time.

"Okay, okay…" Jeremy scratches his temple, "I'll do it."

"Good." I grin, leaning over to hug him.

He stands, pulling out his cell phone and shows me dialing Bonnie's number on the screen, and then placing it to his ear. His feet pace loudly down the small hallway and once he's no longer in earshot I pull out my own phone – I had to make an important call myself.

Damon.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm working on making my chapters longer, but like I said in the previous Chapter I'm a bit rusty all around so it's going to take me some time before you see any major improvement.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **My story is going to alternate between Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Caroline, but mostly Stefan and Caroline since this is their story to tell.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_In a heated moment,  
we say things we don't mean.  
Or do we?_

**Chapter Three**

XXX

**Damon's POV**

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

I heard her groan on the other end, how sexy. Maybe if she put a bit more force into it, it would sound more… Oh! Who was I kidding? She always sounded like she could use some sex even when she played the 'I'm-so-innocent' card, which wasn't often anymore.

"You might say that now, Damon, but what if he's keeping something from me? You're the only one he would trust to tell a secret too… Well usually."

"Oh thanks, Elena. That's _so _sweet of you to say." I roll my eyes at her unnecessary comment, while fiddling with my glass full of blood in my hand.

"Sorry."

Yeah right.

"So, are you going to do this for me?" She sweetens her voice, but doesn't she realize I would do _anything _for her? I shake my head, eyeing the fading glow of the fireplace, enjoying the flames dance and jump around.

"Yeah, I'll do it. You don't have to ask again." I reply.

Our phone conversation disconnects shortly after, and I remain seated in the armchair deciding how I should bring up this talk with my baby brother. To think, he possibly has another girl on the side? You would think Stefan is turning into me. Ha, good one.

"Hey brother! Can you come downstairs for a moment?"

A second later Stefan appears in the den, raised eyebrows and all. What a champ – coming when his older brother calls. I mentally tell myself to clap a few times for good measure by giving Stefan my infamous smirk, and tilt of the glass in his direction.

"Want some?"

Stefan shakes his head, "Nope. So, what's up?"

He sits down on the couch looking over at me with his hands on his knees. I bring the glass back to my lips, gulping down what's left of the blood. Yummy. Now it was time to get to business.

"Well, first things first, how have you been doing?"

"Um… Fine." Stefan seems awfully uncomfortable. Mm, maybe Elena was right. Maybe Mr. Goody Two-Shoes was hiding something after all. Fun. Putting the glass down on the table beside me, I rub my hands together and lean forward. "Tell me, how's your little love life going with Elena? Well, I hope."

He doesn't answer right away. I watch as his face turns into his 'thinking' face and if you ask me it's quite unattractive on him, but that's just me being a dick. Nothing new. A minute or two passes before Stefan finally opens his mouth to answer my question, "We're good – honestly Damon, what's with all these weird questions?"

"Oh, just making an observation." I laugh, tossing my head back in an attempt to break the tension creeping into the room. It was like a cloud ready to spill rain over our heads if we didn't find cover soon enough and believe me when I say I had no desire to get wet _unless _it involved Elena and I.

"Exactly what are you trying to observe?" Stefan's voice booms across the room and suddenly he's on his feet again, "because whatever you're trying to get out of me won't work since there is absolutely nothing going on with me, Damon. Nothing!"

I stand up as well to level with him but he's already moving towards the front door. Opening it wide, Stefan whips his head back around to face his brother. "I'm going out and if you try to follow me… you'll regret it." A threat? He was threating me now? What a turn of events that I hadn't foreseen coming. I make a shooing motion with my hand to let him know he could go and once the door slams behind him, I find myself sitting back down in the armchair.

Interesting.

Really, interesting.

* * *

**A/N: **Things are really beginning to heat up, but Caroline might have something to say about that in the next upcoming chapter. We'll just have to wait and see.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm not dead, I swear. A lot has been going on that has kept me from attempting to update this, but hopefully I can now without a problem.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_Love can take you places you never dreamed of,  
and sometimes all you need is a little push,  
in the right direction. _

**Chapter Four**

XXX

**Caroline's POV**

_Where could he be?_

I felt my heart sink down into my stomach as I stare out my window, tapping my fingers against the glass. _He told me he would be here. _The gritting of my teeth was a sure sign that something was amiss, or I was just over thinking as usual.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_Tap… Tap… Tap._

How strange. I look down the window and gasp, seeing his face almost inches from it; a smile creeps across my lips and in my excitement I open the window to let him in. "You're here." I whisper as his eyes connect with mine. "Of course." He answers.

He steps inside and looks down at me in his full height with that smile of his, which sends a shiver down my spine. I pull him against me, not sure what to do next but be there in his presence.

"I missed you." I say, biting down on my lip.

"I know. I did too, I got held up."

Those two words caught my attention in a matter of seconds and I stare up at Stefan, his expression bleak. "What do you mean by 'held up?'" Silence wraps itself around the room and the only sound we hear comes from the wind outside.

"Well… Damon cornered me on my way out to seeing you. He kept-" Stefan trails off, running his fingers through his hair, avoiding any or all eye contact with me now. "He kept what?" I ask in a serious voice, all romantic feelings gone; fear was in its place.

"He kept asking me how Elena and I were, he was digging for secrets. My secrets." I watch as Stefan untangled himself from me and paces, before sitting down on the bed. His green eyes speak of sadness, uncertainty, and in need of reassurance.

I swallow the lump in my throat, and hating the dreadful feeling willing up in the pit of my stomach. Whenever he got like this – serious, worried – it left me in a state of helplessness. Taking a few steps toward him, I touch the base of his arm as I lick my dry lips.

"You know you can talk to me." He sighs, a heavy one that aches of a million broken hearts, like he doesn't remember how to speak a single word suddenly. He reaches out and grabs my small hand, squeezing it ever so lightly.

"I know but in all honesty I just want to sit beside you." Not even seconds passed before I found myself placed on his lap, staring him straight in the eyes, those beautiful eyes. I only smile and lean forward to kiss Stefan because nothing else seemed to matter.

In the hours that go by, we make love. Our skin fills all the cracks that once were empty, and our hearts beat to a song that carve initials into each other's souls. We toss and turn, ripping apart the sheets that keep our bodies warm, wrapped around us tight, and then we stop to breathe, laugh, and listen as late night drafts into early morning.

"Caroline, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Stefan smiles, pulling me into him and I put my head on his chest. "Well, I was wondering… would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow tonight? You can say no if you want." I hear Stefan suck in his breath, holding it in on purpose.

I pretend to think for a minute or two, even stroking my chin for added effect. Finally I respond, "Of course I'll go on a date with you but on ONE condition." He exhales that breath and chuckles close to my ear, leaving me to shiver against him.

"And what's that, Miss Caroline." Stefan lifts my chin with his finger, looking at me with wonder, curiosity. I don't hesitate as the words spill from my mouth.

"I get to choose the place we go for our date."

* * *

**A/N: **Read and review, and a reminder to you all: this is my first TVD fanfiction, so excuse me if how I write the characters POV's aren't like their characters' on the show – I'm trying my hardest to be as accurate as possible.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I need to stop making excuses, unless it's writer's block.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_Don't hide.  
Don't lie.  
If caught, you'll pay the price._

**Chapter Five**

XXX

**Elena's POV**

The sun peeked through the blinds, shining on my face. I pull the covers over my head to block it out, but fail as I hear footsteps making there way toward my bedroom.

Jeremy.

"Rise and shine, beautiful!"

Or not… It was Damon. The covers find themselves on my floor in a matter of seconds before striking blue eyes stare into mine, almost making me jump.

"What do you want?" I mumble annoyingly.

Damon's smile only widens as he inches away from my face before taking a seat on the edge of my bed. "Well, aren't we Miss Grumpy this morning. I guess you don't want to know the news I found out about your _lover _boy."

At those words, I leaped up and grabbed Damon's shirt by the collar. "Tell me everything!" I practically scream in his face. Damon's facial expression read shock and amusement as he untangles my hand from his shirt.

"Alright then. Relax, and I'll tell all."

Settling back against my pillow, I wait, but my so-called patience was running thin, thin like the hunger that aches to be fulfilled and keeps me more or less sane. Damon runs his hands through his hair, trying to find the right words. He was probably trying to find an easy way to say the words I didn't want to hear.

"Basically after you and I got off the phone last night, I gently eased a conversation with him—I asked him how you two have been doing—He said everything was fine; however, once I began to grill him for more information he threatened me and ran out the door."

My eyebrows rose, slightly confused… "Ran out the door? Where was he going?"

Damon only shook his head: "He didn't say."

"Well, why didn't you go after him?" Anger fueled me to the tenth degree, my fangs wanting to slide through my gums but I fought back because it would have to wait.

"Look Elena, I didn't think it was necessary at the time because Stefan isn't stupid, he's always been good at sensing when I'm around." Those blue eyes pleaded with me to understand his point of view and honestly… it's hard not too.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it has to be me. You understand why, right?" I swallow the lump in my throat, wanting so bad to reach out for Damon's hand, to reassure him but Stefan's sneaking around had to be uncovered once and for all.

Damon sighs, whispering two words, "It's a game of cat and mouse."

It really was.

Such a sick and twisted game.

Vampires, after all, liked the chase.

* * *

**A/N: **Short, but straight to the point. I'm not sure who's POV will be next; however, I should make clear that Damon isn't a major character like the others.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_Struck by lighting?  
Or is it love?_

**Chapter Six**

XXX

**Stefan's POV**

"What's taking so long?" I yell, "did you drown in the bath tube or something?" Listening intently, I hear the weight of heels click against the wooden floor and soft humming, happy humming, above me. _So she didn't drown; that's good to know. _

A few more minutes pass, which was also a few more minutes of me tapping my foot impatiently. I resist the urge to bolt up to her bedroom and playfully drag her out the door, but instead settle for staring out the window, deep in thought.

'Maybe you should tell Elena the truth?'

_No. That would be suicide. _

'She might understand.'

_I highly doubt that. _

'You never know.'

_You're just saying that._

'Maybe. Maybe not.'

"Hey there, you ready to go?" Caroline's voice cuts through my thoughts, leaving all fear of Elena finding us together a small bug under my foot, so easy to crush. I spin around and almost gasp at how beautiful she looks in her knee high green dress with dangling star green earrings to match, even though her 3-inch heels were black.

"Wow…" I know my mouth is wide open so I do the next best thing. I step forward, sweeping her in my arms and kiss her softly on the lips, a hint of strawberry flavor chap stick.

Caroline smiles and pulls away, taking in a deep breath. "I'm ready to leave when you are, Mister." I nod, holding out my hand where her hand fits perfectly as we make our way outside. "So, who's driving?" I ask in a teasing fashion while opening the passage side door for Caroline. She rolls her eyes and gets comfortable in her seat as I shut it and make my way to the driver's side.

We sit in silence, and for a moment I think she's not even sitting beside me, that maybe she's simply a person I made up in my head; however, when I turn my head to the right: there she is… as real as any girl can be. Without a single thought, I put the keys in the ignition and bring the car to life. "You know, you never told where we were going for our date?" I finally say while I back the car out of the driveway.

"I'll tell you soon enough. Keep your pants on, Stefan. But if you're wondering, it's nothing fancy. Just fun." Caroline giggles to herself as she puts the volume up on the radio. Eyeing her every now and then, she sings silently to herself, even making an attempt to dance in her seat. Time crawls—we pass buildings, go through intersections—yet no words flutter from Caroline's lips.

"Caroline. For almost an hour now, we've been driving aimlessly and you still haven't said anything. _Exactly_, where are we going?" I try to keep the venom from my voice. _She'll have to tell me sooner or later. Otherwise, what kind of date would this be?_ Pouting my lips, I slowly crawl my way to the STOP sign, thankful that no cars are behind me.

"Okay, I'll speak. Take a left down Berlin Street, then keep going straight until you see the sign that says **Mystic Falls Mini Golf Course**. Many people, considering this is a small town, forget we have such a thing so I figured we'd go enjoy ourselves." Caroline's inhales a deep breath, then releases.

"Mini Golf, eh?" I smirk, shaking my head.

"What?" Those blue eyes of hers narrow a bit.

"I'm going to beat you, you know?" I say matter-of-fact.

She laughs more to herself than at me. "Oh, we'll see about that."

* * *

**A/N: **Late as usual, but you all remind me to continue this story even though it's wicked romantically sappy. Although, this book I've been working on for years… Well, I plan to post it on here—a rough draft you might say and it's full of action—but that's up to you, my reviewers.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sometimes it surprises me how much you all like my story, but I love it regardless.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

_Once in a while,  
you stumble onto something  
you shouldn't have. _

**Chapter Seven**

XXX

**Damon's POV**

The beer bottle hit the ground, getting lost under wet leaves and huge tree branches; the rain light now. I stumble through the semi-darkness, not quite drunk. If anything, I liked to pretend I was. Elena could be a total bitch sometimes… I mean, why didn't she want me to help spy on Stefan with her? I lean against a tree truck, trying to clean my pounding thoughts. Oh yeah. Because Stefan would be able to detect me, he was always good at that.

Sighing, I close my eyes and try to block out laugher and golf clubs hitting tiny balls that may or may not sink into a hole at the end of each course. I couldn't believe people still _played _Mini Golf, especially in this town. _I should have grabbed more beer, lots more because then I could stop—_My head shot up as my eyes face in the direction of the Mini Golf Course, which was a mile or two away from where I stood. _Did I hear what I thought I just heard?_

"Oh Stefan, just hit the ball. What are you so afraid of?

"I'm afraid that you'll beat me."

"I warned you."

Stefan and Caroline were playing mini golf? Together? My curiosity was getting the best of me, and maybe, just maybe I was forgetting some important detail but my brain wasn't in complete focus. I decided it was in my best interest to check things out. I stood up straight and took off in a speedy run until my hands touched the fence that wrapped itself neatly around the Mini Golf Course. Peeking my eyes through the cracks in the fence, I spotted Stefan and Caroline at the ninth golf course.

From where I was watching, they looked like two best friends having a good time since they were after all. Caroline was teasing Stefan, and occasionally Stefan would playfully push her as they took turns. I back away from the fence, running my hands through my hair. Something in my gut told me I should keep a close eye on them, but I couldn't risk being caught if Stefan felt my presence. Five more minutes go passed before my eyes are spying through the cracks again and I see Stefan and Caroline playing on the last golf course.

"Just so you remember, I'm kicking your ass." Caroline laughs.

"Well, I'm going to kick your ass later." Stefan uncurls his upper lip and exposes—only to Caroline's eyes—his fangs. Caroline flashes hers in return and shoots her ball, watching it go over the bridge and around the lighthouse, rolling easily into the hole. Caroline jumps in glee, spinning in a small circle before dropping the club on the ground.

Stefan shakes his head, lining up his shot before he takes a swing, which only gets his ball halfway around the lighthouse. He walks over to it, taking another swing so the ball is only a couple inches away from the hole now. So with his last swing, it sinks into the hole. Caroline giggles, patting Stefan on the shoulder. "Good effort, you tried your best." Stefan only turns slightly to take a peek at Caroline, "Admit it, you're happy that I lost the game." She doesn't answer him even though a smile remains on her lips as she walks away towards the entrance to return the golf clubs and golf balls.

I remove my head from the fence and listen as they walk to the parking lot, and then I slowly make my way in their direction, crouching in the bushes. Stefan holds open the door for Caroline but she doesn't step inside the car, instead she pulls Stefan in the empty parking space next to them, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smirks, placing his hands on her waist.

"You did great tonight." Stefan says, brushing some hair away from her face.

"So did you. I had fun." Caroline's cheeks turn a shade of red.

Stefan leans in closer, his lips hovering over hers, "I'm glad." And then he shuts the gap between them, their lips connecting, and from where I was crouching it didn't look like any friendship kiss I'd ever seen—it was full of passion, full of love. My eyes widen and I almost stumble back on my ass. This was actually happening, and I was witnessing the most interesting plot twist of them all.

Stefan and Caroline were together.

Holy shit.

**A/N: **Read and review! Only a small handful of chapters left before the end.


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